A tunnel party!
The Swiss are about to complete the world's longest tunnel. Why? To move cargo away from the beautiful Alps and onto trains underneath the mountains. Makes perfect sense... if you are from, have lived or have visited Switzerland. ;)
Go Switzerland!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Move to Switzerland, get healthy!
Since I've been back I've been taking care of all the health related things I've let sit on the back burner. I didn't go to the doctor unless absolutely necessary in Switzerland because 1- I had a slight aversion to doing it due to the language barrier and 2- I knew our time in Switzerland was short lived.
So, doctors visits, physicals and blood tests oh my!
Today I received some of my blood test results. And imagine my surprise when my doctor was blown away by my cholesterol numbers. So much so he gave me a thumbs up. Go me!
And then I told Brian and he said, "Duh, Meghan, we've been in Switzerland eating fantastic healthy food for the last few years."
I didn't feel so proud of myself after that.
But my point is, it was super healthy to do because healthy options are almost your only option over there. Beef is insanely expensive, the bread is so yummy you don't need to eat pastries, and fried food is practically non-existent in Switzerland. Also, fast food isn't readily available; it was easier for me to whip something up at home then drive the 15 minutes to the super expensive McDonald's two towns over.
And that is saying a ton because Rachael Ray I am not.
We're going to try our best to keep up the Swiss-like diet. It's going to be difficult for us but we'll give it our best shot! And then, of course, I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
So, doctors visits, physicals and blood tests oh my!
Today I received some of my blood test results. And imagine my surprise when my doctor was blown away by my cholesterol numbers. So much so he gave me a thumbs up. Go me!
And then I told Brian and he said, "Duh, Meghan, we've been in Switzerland eating fantastic healthy food for the last few years."
I didn't feel so proud of myself after that.
But my point is, it was super healthy to do because healthy options are almost your only option over there. Beef is insanely expensive, the bread is so yummy you don't need to eat pastries, and fried food is practically non-existent in Switzerland. Also, fast food isn't readily available; it was easier for me to whip something up at home then drive the 15 minutes to the super expensive McDonald's two towns over.
And that is saying a ton because Rachael Ray I am not.
We're going to try our best to keep up the Swiss-like diet. It's going to be difficult for us but we'll give it our best shot! And then, of course, I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Dude, don't get a Dell.
Seriously my fellow expats, just don't do it.
I've mentioned my issues with my Dell Inspiron laptop on here before. Just do a quick search for 'dell' and you'll find a small sample of my frustration with my laptop and the company.
It's been a roller coaster with this thing and it all started when I moved to Europe. Imagine my surprise when my charger stopped working after a few months of living over there. The charger says it can handle European electrical loads but I have experienced four broken chargers in the past two years that says otherwise.
When I moved back to the US, I thought my issues with my laptop would be over. This is the country I purchased it in, so hopefully no more electrical issues!
Hahaha. Ha.
My charger hasn't been working for a week and I've been getting a new error message. This message informs me that I'm plugged in to an incorrect charger and must change to a 65W AC adapter. Nope, it is a 65W AC adapter. So I tried unplugging the charger, unplugging the battery, restarting the laptop yadda yadda yadda. Still getting the message. And now my battery isn't holding a charge so everytime my power cord comes out of the computer, the computer shuts down.
Having had enough, I contacted Dell technical support online last night. Apparently they couldn't do anything for me so they quickly got rid of me, telling me to call a 1-800 number today with my laptop's express service code number.
So I did. And now I have a migraine.
I called and explained the situation to the lady I was speaking to. I gave her all the information. She put me on hold. When she came back, our conversation went a little something like this:
Her: "Your computer is registered to a country outside of the US, have you changed the registration back to the US?"
Me: "No, I bought the laptop in the US and never registered it in Switzerland."
Her: "Well, our records show that it isn't registered to the US, did you ever change the registration back?"
Me: "If I wasn't aware that the computer was registered in Switzerland, how would I know to change it back to the US?"
Her: "Would it be okay for me to put you on hold for 2-3 minutes?"
When she came back she said she was trying to access my computer and warranty information. I informed her that the laptop was purchased in 2008 so I suspected it was no longer under warranty. However, the adapter needed to be replaced often while I lived in Switzerland and that Dell Switzerland had covered it because the adapter was failing so quickly, before any warranty could expire on it. She asked me for more information to find the purchase information and then put me on hold, again.
The third time she came back she asked what troubleshooting I had attempted on the computer. I told her and then she directed me to remove the battery from the laptop and see if I still got the error message. I did. So she put me on hold again.
The fourth time she came back she told me the warranty had expired on my laptop but I could purchase an extended warranty plan. I said, yea, no thanks. She said my error message indicated that something else might be wrong with the laptop, like a motherboard issue. I told her that Switzerland had looked at that and, no, that wasn't the problem. The chargers suck. Then she asked me for the reference number that was used for the new adapter that I received in Switzerland. I told her I didn't have it. She said she needed it to put in her records so that a 'higher up technical person' could help with this issue. I said, "Well, I thought you couldn't access foreign records?" She said that this higher-up person could to which I responded, "Great, then he should be able to use the laptop's service code, which has never changed, to be able to see all of the records from Switzerland." Then she - can you guess? Yep, put me on hold again.
The final time she came back she again informed me that my warranty had expired in April 2009 (a year after I purchased it) and, as a result, in the future I would be charged $59.99 for contacting phone support.
That's when my mouth hit the ground and I went in to full "Are you kidding me?" mode.
She wasn't, she was dead serious.
So that's that. I have a crappy laptop, charger, and battery and I'm missing the Swiss support because they seemed to give a damn.
Learn from my experience people! Just say no!
I've mentioned my issues with my Dell Inspiron laptop on here before. Just do a quick search for 'dell' and you'll find a small sample of my frustration with my laptop and the company.
It's been a roller coaster with this thing and it all started when I moved to Europe. Imagine my surprise when my charger stopped working after a few months of living over there. The charger says it can handle European electrical loads but I have experienced four broken chargers in the past two years that says otherwise.
When I moved back to the US, I thought my issues with my laptop would be over. This is the country I purchased it in, so hopefully no more electrical issues!
Hahaha. Ha.
My charger hasn't been working for a week and I've been getting a new error message. This message informs me that I'm plugged in to an incorrect charger and must change to a 65W AC adapter. Nope, it is a 65W AC adapter. So I tried unplugging the charger, unplugging the battery, restarting the laptop yadda yadda yadda. Still getting the message. And now my battery isn't holding a charge so everytime my power cord comes out of the computer, the computer shuts down.
Having had enough, I contacted Dell technical support online last night. Apparently they couldn't do anything for me so they quickly got rid of me, telling me to call a 1-800 number today with my laptop's express service code number.
So I did. And now I have a migraine.
I called and explained the situation to the lady I was speaking to. I gave her all the information. She put me on hold. When she came back, our conversation went a little something like this:
Her: "Your computer is registered to a country outside of the US, have you changed the registration back to the US?"
Me: "No, I bought the laptop in the US and never registered it in Switzerland."
Her: "Well, our records show that it isn't registered to the US, did you ever change the registration back?"
Me: "If I wasn't aware that the computer was registered in Switzerland, how would I know to change it back to the US?"
Her: "Would it be okay for me to put you on hold for 2-3 minutes?"
When she came back she said she was trying to access my computer and warranty information. I informed her that the laptop was purchased in 2008 so I suspected it was no longer under warranty. However, the adapter needed to be replaced often while I lived in Switzerland and that Dell Switzerland had covered it because the adapter was failing so quickly, before any warranty could expire on it. She asked me for more information to find the purchase information and then put me on hold, again.
The third time she came back she asked what troubleshooting I had attempted on the computer. I told her and then she directed me to remove the battery from the laptop and see if I still got the error message. I did. So she put me on hold again.
The fourth time she came back she told me the warranty had expired on my laptop but I could purchase an extended warranty plan. I said, yea, no thanks. She said my error message indicated that something else might be wrong with the laptop, like a motherboard issue. I told her that Switzerland had looked at that and, no, that wasn't the problem. The chargers suck. Then she asked me for the reference number that was used for the new adapter that I received in Switzerland. I told her I didn't have it. She said she needed it to put in her records so that a 'higher up technical person' could help with this issue. I said, "Well, I thought you couldn't access foreign records?" She said that this higher-up person could to which I responded, "Great, then he should be able to use the laptop's service code, which has never changed, to be able to see all of the records from Switzerland." Then she - can you guess? Yep, put me on hold again.
The final time she came back she again informed me that my warranty had expired in April 2009 (a year after I purchased it) and, as a result, in the future I would be charged $59.99 for contacting phone support.
That's when my mouth hit the ground and I went in to full "Are you kidding me?" mode.
She wasn't, she was dead serious.
So that's that. I have a crappy laptop, charger, and battery and I'm missing the Swiss support because they seemed to give a damn.
Learn from my experience people! Just say no!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
We are definitely not in Zurich anymore.
Reality smacked me in the face this week; I went back to work!
I'm working three days a week for the company I was with before I left for Switzerland. While I'm enjoying working again, going back has been an interesting experience. Some things are the same and others aren't. And it's odd to sit at my desk, one cubicle away from where I sat two and a half years ago, and wonder, "Did that really just happen?"
It doesn't feel like it. It seems like I was just there, at the office, working on projects. Projects, coincidentally, that are now being run by other engineers and are now in construction.
But it did and I'm so thankful for that. Brian and I challenged ourselves by moving to Switzerland and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives. The experience changed us, for the better I like to think, and gave us life long friends.
Marion was lucky enough to make life long friends as well. And she's been missing them dearly. This week, she decided to email some of them back in Switzerland. Well, okay, she dictated to me and I wrote it. Either way, here is one of the emails she sent:
Dear S,
Please come to America to see Marion and Mommy and Daddy and Bettina. If you come to my house, you have to go my school too. I want to play dress ups with you S and Grammie wants to see you too. I want you to play with all my toys. I miss you.
Love,
Marion
Writing that kind of felt like someone ripped my heart out and played football with it a bit; completely broke my heart. But I am so so happy that she has these friends in her life and look forward to helping her keep those friendships for a long time. Even if it hurts to do it sometimes.
I'm working three days a week for the company I was with before I left for Switzerland. While I'm enjoying working again, going back has been an interesting experience. Some things are the same and others aren't. And it's odd to sit at my desk, one cubicle away from where I sat two and a half years ago, and wonder, "Did that really just happen?"
It doesn't feel like it. It seems like I was just there, at the office, working on projects. Projects, coincidentally, that are now being run by other engineers and are now in construction.
But it did and I'm so thankful for that. Brian and I challenged ourselves by moving to Switzerland and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives. The experience changed us, for the better I like to think, and gave us life long friends.
Marion was lucky enough to make life long friends as well. And she's been missing them dearly. This week, she decided to email some of them back in Switzerland. Well, okay, she dictated to me and I wrote it. Either way, here is one of the emails she sent:
Dear S,
Please come to America to see Marion and Mommy and Daddy and Bettina. If you come to my house, you have to go my school too. I want to play dress ups with you S and Grammie wants to see you too. I want you to play with all my toys. I miss you.
Love,
Marion
Writing that kind of felt like someone ripped my heart out and played football with it a bit; completely broke my heart. But I am so so happy that she has these friends in her life and look forward to helping her keep those friendships for a long time. Even if it hurts to do it sometimes.
Monday, September 27, 2010
It always happens when you move, but it still annoys.
We are still unpacking over here. At this point we've gotten through most of what was in storage while we lived in Switzerland. That was a lot of fun; there was a surprise in every box! "Oh, we have nice china!" "Wow, dishes and silverware that aren't from Ikea!" "Huh, why did we buy this again?"
It was like shopping for free in the comfort of your own home.
The things from Switzerland have not been so lucky. The good news is that the eight boxes we shipped have arrived and been unpacked. Bad news? The luggage we packed and brought over with us has not all been unpacked yet.
Why? Well, life has gotten in the way. Marion's going to school, Betti's a monster who requires constant attention, we had a massive ant invasion, and we went to the beach for a week.
Yep, life is hard.
But now we must unpack. I'm missing something and it is driving me mad. Now you all must be wondering, what is it? What are you missing?
We are missing our salt and pepper grinder.
Yea yea yea, laugh away. But this salt and pepper grinder is AWESOME! It is a grinder with salt on one side, pepper on the other, and a handle you turn right or left to grind what you want. I got it on sale at the Coop and have been unable to find a replacement online.
It's the little things sometimes, okay?
It was like shopping for free in the comfort of your own home.
The things from Switzerland have not been so lucky. The good news is that the eight boxes we shipped have arrived and been unpacked. Bad news? The luggage we packed and brought over with us has not all been unpacked yet.
Why? Well, life has gotten in the way. Marion's going to school, Betti's a monster who requires constant attention, we had a massive ant invasion, and we went to the beach for a week.
Yep, life is hard.
But now we must unpack. I'm missing something and it is driving me mad. Now you all must be wondering, what is it? What are you missing?
We are missing our salt and pepper grinder.
Yea yea yea, laugh away. But this salt and pepper grinder is AWESOME! It is a grinder with salt on one side, pepper on the other, and a handle you turn right or left to grind what you want. I got it on sale at the Coop and have been unable to find a replacement online.
It's the little things sometimes, okay?
Friday, September 24, 2010
18 months (and 5 days)
Betti. Ohhhhh Betti.
My little baby girl is HUGE! I took her for her 18 month appointment today where she weighed in at 28 lbs and 34 inches tall. For all those you don't have a clue as to what size that is, she is in the 92% for weight and 97% for height.
Besides being our little amazon, she continues to be a physical being. When at the beach last week she loved getting into the sand and the water.
She met a cute little southern girl who didn't like the sand. Betti kept trying to give some to her but she kept running away.
I couldn't help but chuckle. My little girl looked like a complete knucklehead next to that adorable, clean southern belle.
It's starting to make complete sense that her first word was 'ball'.
She also loved running out into the waves.
And we enjoyed sitting in beach chairs playing with the water and sand.
It was so much fun to play with her at the beach. Marion hated the sand and water at this age and it made such a huge difference to play with a child who enjoyed it all.
In other Betti news, she still loves it when Marion chases her and beats her up. She's still a little hesitant to jump into situations but warms up quickly. She's learning new things all the time, which is probably my favorite part of being a parent. I love watching them learn and experience new things. And, last but certainly not least, Bettina gives the best hugs ever and has a huge, contagious smile.
We love you Betti Boo!
My little baby girl is HUGE! I took her for her 18 month appointment today where she weighed in at 28 lbs and 34 inches tall. For all those you don't have a clue as to what size that is, she is in the 92% for weight and 97% for height.
Besides being our little amazon, she continues to be a physical being. When at the beach last week she loved getting into the sand and the water.
She met a cute little southern girl who didn't like the sand. Betti kept trying to give some to her but she kept running away.
I couldn't help but chuckle. My little girl looked like a complete knucklehead next to that adorable, clean southern belle.
It's starting to make complete sense that her first word was 'ball'.
She also loved running out into the waves.
And we enjoyed sitting in beach chairs playing with the water and sand.
It was so much fun to play with her at the beach. Marion hated the sand and water at this age and it made such a huge difference to play with a child who enjoyed it all.
In other Betti news, she still loves it when Marion chases her and beats her up. She's still a little hesitant to jump into situations but warms up quickly. She's learning new things all the time, which is probably my favorite part of being a parent. I love watching them learn and experience new things. And, last but certainly not least, Bettina gives the best hugs ever and has a huge, contagious smile.
We love you Betti Boo!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Just when you think the transition is going well...
Today at school Marion's class had a visitor. They were talking to the woman and she asked them where they lived. Marion's answer? "Switzerland."
Last week we were in Hilton Head, SC for a family wedding. Brian put Marion to bed one night when Marion started crying, saying how much she missed her friends. Then she listed every single one of our friends, adults and children, and asked when we were going back.
*sigh*
It breaks our hearts to see her react to the move like this. I'd wish for her to settle in and stop saying things like this but then that would be like wishing her to forget. We definitely don't want that.
I guess we will have to schedule a visit soon! Yea, I like that solution. :)
Last week we were in Hilton Head, SC for a family wedding. Brian put Marion to bed one night when Marion started crying, saying how much she missed her friends. Then she listed every single one of our friends, adults and children, and asked when we were going back.
*sigh*
It breaks our hearts to see her react to the move like this. I'd wish for her to settle in and stop saying things like this but then that would be like wishing her to forget. We definitely don't want that.
I guess we will have to schedule a visit soon! Yea, I like that solution. :)
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